At New York University, on Wednesday, April
18, 2001, 22 NYU students gathered to watch the documentary "Peace of
Mind" and to discuss the issue of peace and coexistence both (1) in the
Middle East as well as (2) on the NYU campus.
This was a momentous step, although perhaps a small
one, in terms of students of different faiths, nationalities, and political
alignments coming together to speak openly and face-to-face about this issue
which so many of us feel deeply connected to.
As this year has seen an increase of violence in the
Middle East, tensions have also increased at our campus. NYU is home to large
communities of passionate Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, and
Muslims. While we all live in the same dorms and attend classes together,
our respective groups tend to stay separated. Most criticism and arguing
is done from a distance.
Disturbing incidents of intolerance have occurred on
campus since this Fall. They have been fairly limited and executed by
only a minority representation of some of the groups mentioned above, but have
nonetheless have contributed to an overall sense of tension and mistrust.
In the past, NYU's Hillel and Islamic Center have
co-sponsored powerful and successful events such as a Jewish-Muslim
dinner/discussion (restricted only to the topic of religion).
Last Wednesday's event, "On the Road to
Understanding," was sponsored by NYU's Spiritual Diversity Network, the
Office of Student Life, and the Office of Student Activities. This was the
first time that NYU students could come together in a safe and respectful
environment, not to debate, argue about, or altogether avoid the topic of
politics, but to WATCH a meaningful
documentary about the issue and to LISTEN to one another's stories and
experiences.
After watching the video, 12 students (including
American Jews, Israelis, Palestinian Americans, other Arab students, as well as
"unaffiliated" students) voluntarily stayed to discuss reactions to
the documentary. Our conversation soon turned to more immediate issues taking
place in the Middle East.
By the end of the evening, our conversation shifted to
the topic of our own issues on campus, and of the importance of being able to
dialogue face-to-face, even if for no other reason than to learn to respect one
another.
We feel that this event was very successful and
important first step in coming to an understanding about our relations on
campus. We expect to continue this dialogue next Fall, in the form of an
official club or simply as a group of committed students.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more
about our group-in-development (or, for NYU students, if you'd like to be
involved in the future), please feel free to e-mail any of the four student
organizers of Wednesday's event: